Never Again
by Thyqua
Summary: It wasn't until she practically stumbled into the briefing room one morning, slumping to the floor against her best attempts to hold herself up with the back of a chair, that they noticed something was wrong.
1. Chapter 1

It was a surprise to everyone the day Elizabeth walked into a mission briefing with a severely bruised cheekbone, her hair barely covering it although she had obviously attempted to. Her reason given was pathetic, tripping up stairs, but accepted as no one had reason to believe she would lie.

The next week they should have noticed a large slash across the bottom of her neck, however it was hidden underneath Elizabeth's convenient high-necked tops those few days, so no one was made aware.

Maybe if there had been another woman from Earth who was more closely involved in the running of Atlantis, someone would have noticed the four days straight the week after that when she wore long sleeves without fail.

It wasn't until she practically stumbled into the briefing room one morning, slumping to the floor against her best attempts to hold herself up with the back of a chair, that they noticed something was wrong. When Sheppard and Teyla rushed to her side first, she told them she was fine, let them help her up and argued against going to the infirmary. Loosing the battle, she found herself sitting on the edge of an infirmary bed, her mind a little fuzzy about the journey down there.

When Carson questioned what had happened, they explained that she refused to tell them. After examining her, he came to the conclusion something had been going on for a while, old bruises and healing wounds present from the last few weeks.

She was questioned by Carson, then Sheppard. How had it happened? She had them thoroughly confused. If there was someone in the city that was somehow doing this why hadn't she said anything? The thought that she could hurt herself barely scraped anyone's minds, dismissed before the thought had a chance to form, and so they never really left square one, more perplexed than ever as to what had happened to Elizabeth.

Reluctantly releasing her from the infirmary on the part of Dr Beckett a couple of days later; neither himself nor Sheppard realised the mistake. Both were oblivious to the fact that could end it once and for all.

Elizabeth lay in her quarters that night, pretending to be asleep, a knife strapped tightly to her leg under her loose cotton trousers. He always came at night when she couldn't prevent it, always waiting until that moment where her body let her down despite her desperate attempts to remain awake. She would always wake back in her bed in the morning, often a headache present but never any clue as to whom it was, or often even what happened.

This night was different; she let her body lay slack when she was dragged from her bed to wherever it was he took her. He hadn't managed to get his hands on her for a few days longer than usual, so she had known he would come. As usual he managed to knock her around enough to keep her unconscious for a little while, but this time wouldn't be the same as every other. She had managed to steal, though she didn't like to think of it that way, a mild stimulant from the infirmary before she left, so that this time she wouldn't stay unconscious for as long and would be more aware once she woke.

When her mind came back from the darkness that she had temporarily sunken into, she felt herself leaning against a cold wall, someone had their legs straddling hers, sitting on her thighs, hands roaming under her small top. Her eyes were conveniently covered with a cloth tied a little too tightly around her head, her wrists tied together behind her back and more rope preventing her from separating her legs. Not moving, and letting him still believe she was unconscious to the world, she waited for the right moment before bringing up her legs quickly and kicking him in the chest in one fast, fluid movement. He was used to her struggling a little, maybe even fighting back, but the accuracy and power of her kick had moved him across the floor of the room, his head hit the floor as he stopped moving and he lay there stunned for a few moments. Elizabeth took this opportunity to bring her legs up in front of her, arms straining to slip under her body and round her legs until also in front of her. She pulled her blindfold off first, hands barely shaking the way she expected them to. Maybe this was what true adrenaline felt like; the thought didn't have time to distract her as she already worked to slip her legs out of their constraints and grab the knife off her leg as her attacker approached her. She stood slowly, giving her head a moment to catch up; whilst managing to slip one hand out of the recently weakened ropes she had introduced to her knife; not taking her eyes off the man in front of her as she did so. The knife was held in one hand, currently hidden behind her back in the hopes that he had not noticed it yet.

Her heart beat louder than she thought possible in her ears, her concentration, however, remaining on the figure in front of her. When he got closer and lunged for her, she brought out the knife at the last second, lunging back with it held in a steady hand. The next few moments of her life would quite possibly remain a blur to her for evermore, the adrenaline pumping through her veins and all her anger at what he had done to her in the past now pouring out in a mixture of a scramble and a fight.

The next morning, when no one had seen or heard from Dr Weir, a search was initialized, Sheppard and Carson agreeing to keep it to certain members of the staff that they knew they could trust, still feeling unsure about the previous events that landed her in the infirmary. Setting off in two teams, Teyla and Ford had been assigned to one area of the base to start with, Sheppard taking Rodney and Carson to investigate another area.

So it was Sheppard, Rodney and Carson that eventually stumbled across a room in a distant part of the city which they where almost too shocked to enter. Rodney's hand came up to cover his mouth as he exclaimed and had to look away from the scene he found in front of him. Two bodies lay on the floor, both battered and bruised, a fair amount of blood both on their clothes and surrounding where they lay. It took a minute before Sheppard rushed to Elizabeth's body to check for a pulse. Carson found himself going to the other body to do the same. They left the room with one body on a stretcher, one in a bag.


	2. Chapter 2

Elizabeth was unconscious for almost two days before she woke in the infirmary. Her wounds quite severe, though luckily most of the blood they had found on her was not her own. To be truthful, they all had to admit how much this surprised them. They knew she was a fighter by personality; but in a mental and emotional way, none of them expected to see it from her in this form. She wouldn't talk about that night, merely the first question she asked when she woke as to whether on not he was alive. She looked so relieved when Sheppard told her that he was dead that he had to wonder how long it had been going on and how much she would be scared emotionally.

Those that saw the room drew there own conclusions of what may have happened. Both Rodney and Carson wondered to each other where she found the strength to finish it. It made them realise how much she must have been going through whilst no one was aware that anything was even wrong. Both vowed to keep better tabs on her in the future, now knowing how good she is at hiding her pain.

Sheppard was actually the one who spent time at her bedside, persistent attempts to get her to talk. He was sure she had never killed anyone before, and knew the first time was the most difficult, especially for someone like her who usually opted for the peaceful method wherever possible. And it was one of the more violent, disturbing things even he had seen. There must be some residual emotions lying in there after the whole awful situation, but try as he might he didn't seem to be able to get any words from her that had any connection to it.

The limbo continued all the time she was in the infirmary, it wasn't until he visited her in her quarters the day Carson let her leave the infirmary; finding her sitting on the side of her bed, eyes and thoughts in a distant galaxy that he found what he had been waiting, persevering for.

In the end he found himself mildly satisfied with the lone words she gave him, determination and pain somehow set in her features simultaneously as she gave him a hope that she would heal, would possibly even let herself talk about it someday. A hope and now a knowledge that she would be alright.

"Never again."

He didn't think she actually needed to elaborate on the lone statement she finally gave about it all. Never again would she let someone abuse her like that. Never again would she let something continue for so long. Never again would she keep it to herself. Never again would she kill so brutally, in a fight to the death.

"Never again." She repeated herself, words still rigged with resolve, but a voice beginning to crack, as the first tear fell down one cheek.


End file.
